Amnesty International’s condemnation of the Nigerian government’s response to the killings in Plateau and Benue states underscores mounting outrage over its persistent failure to safeguard lives and uphold its primary duty of protecting citizens.
Development Diaries reports that the rights organisation in an X post dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s repeated directives to security agencies in the face of the escalating insecurity in the country.
Amnesty International strongly condemns the horrific attack on Bindi-Jebbu of Tahoss community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State in which at least 27 people were killed on Monday. Entire families were locked up in their rooms and slaughtered one by one. Those who…
— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) July 16, 2025
Recall that at least 27 farmers, including men and women, were reportedly killed in a fresh attack by gunmen in Bindi-Jebbu of the Tahoss community in Riyom local government area of Plateau State.
This is the scale of brutality and the utter breakdown of security in rural communities despite repeated presidential orders.
The massacre in Plateau State is part of a wider trend of violent attacks that continue to plague the region.
According to Amnesty International, in a report released in May 2025, at least 10,217 people have been killed in the two years since the government took power, with 6,896 killed in Benue State and at least 2,630 killed in Plateau State.
Despite these alarming figures, the government’s response has remained casual and ineffective.
What remains clear is that the Nigerian government is not meeting its constitutional duty as outlined in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution, which states that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’.
This unfolding tragedy demands an urgent and coordinated response.
Development Diaries calls on President Tinubu and security agencies to move beyond rhetoric and demonstrate real political will by deploying impartial, intelligence-led, and well-equipped security operations to protect vulnerable communities.
Also, subnational governments must put pressure on the federal government to end the culture of impunity. President Tinubu must recognise that his administration’s credibility is on the line, and unless there is a visible shift in both policy and action, more innocent lives will be lost to preventable violence.
Photo source: Kim Masara/AFPTV/AFP
